Analysis of the Development Level of Rural Settlements and the Factors Affecting it (Case Study: The Central part of Iranshahr County)

According to the evidences and experiences, the developing of rural areas in proportion to their share and the status and functioning in the national economy have been badly neglected, and because of inattention to the role of geographical factors (Natural environment, social, economic,…) in the ductility and spatial arrangements and the development of rural settlements, despite efforts in the country, especially after the revolution, instability and underdevelopment in the rural areas is still visible in Iran.
Accordingly, this study seeks to examine the development level of rural settlements in the central part of Iranshahr and the role of geographical factors in that, from the local resident's point of view. The investigated factors comprise natural environment, spatial, social and economic ones. The research is descriptive-analytic and the total rural settlements of the central part of Iranshahr are the population.
19 villages and 294 heads of households were selected as the sample size. The obtained data were analyzed and processed through statistical methods in SPSS software. The results revealed a low rate of rural development in the central part of Iranshahr, i.e., is below the theoretical average (with an average of 2.43), and most of factors (apart from natural disasters, family aspect and employment rates) have a logical and significant relationship with rural development.
Among them, the effect of spatial location factors and then, the social factors is more highlighted. Therefore, the development of rural settlements in the study area requires a fundamental revision in policies and programs for rural development, and also having a specific look at the role of some geographical factors in the development process of rural settlements is needed.